Laundry apparatus

ABSTRACT

Institutional laundry equipment including laundry washing and extracting apparatus having a substantially airtight casing, with separate loading and unloading doors, disposed in a partition dividing a laundry area into a laundry-receiving room and a clean laundry room, the receiving room having an exhaust fan for maintaining subatmospheric pressure in the receiving room, an air duct connecting the casing with outside air, port means in the casing opening into the receiving room, and interlocking means for the doors to maintain at least one of the doors closed at all times, the port means being either an air duct or a casing water dump valve open to the receiving room or both.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Max Hertig; Primary Examiner-Williaml. Price Peter J. Meier, Syracuse, NY. Attorney-F. P. Keiper [2]] Appl.No. 775,088 [22] Filed Nov. 12, 1968 [45] Patented May 4, 1971 [73]Assignee G. A. Braun, Inc.

Syracuse, N.Y.

ABSTRACT: lnstitutional laundry equipment including [54] LAUNDRYAPPARATUS laundry vvashing and extracting apparatus having a substan- 4Claims, 1 Drawing Fig tlally airtight casing, with separate loading andunloading doors, disposed in a partition dividing a laundry area into aU-S- |aund y re eiving room and a clean laundry rogm the recejv. l 1

39/14 ing room having an exhaust fan for maintaining subatmospher- [50]F'eld Search 98/32- 33; lo pressure in the receiving room, an air ductconnecting the 134/ 1 I; 68/ 140 casing with outside air, port means inthe casing opening into the receiving room, and interlocking means forthe doors to [56] References cued maintain at least one of the doorsclosed at all times, the port UNrrED STATES PATENTS means being eitheran air duct or a casing water dump valve 3,3 18,122 5/ l 967 Starr etal. 68/210 open to the receiving room or both.

I 1 l I- I 22 1 l l t 11 34 I 2 6 l 3| I I {i 3| 24 q I 1 {f 2 i 30 I 1'2a 2 o 7- l- 3 t j P I 1 -l rl j n I I l I 1.. q Ea, ll 1L 5 2 referredto as the clean room 26.

The washing machine casing shell 52 is provided with a duct 1 1 LAUNDRYAPPARATUS This invention relates to laundry apparatus, and more.particularly to apparatus of the institutional type for use inhospitals, ,hotels, and the like, where cross infection is to be roomand a clean laundry room, the apparatus having its loading door in thereceiving-room and its unloading door in the cleanroom. Additionally theinvention includes apparatus for scavenging the washing apparatus withoutside air, and maintaining the apparatus and receiving roomsubatmospheric, as respects the clean room at all times, and doorinterlocks to prevent the opening of either unloading or loading doorexcept when the other is closed. it will be understood that the laundryprocessed in the apparatus will be subjected to decontaminants toprevent the transmission of bacteria such as would be capable of crossinfection, through the laundry being processed. I

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear morefully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. lt is expressly understoodthat the-drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and arenot designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, referencebeing had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:7

' FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the unloading side of a washing andextraction apparatus; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken through the'washing and ex- .tractionapparatus substantially'on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a commercial size washingmachine of the tumbler centrifugal extraction type with its exteriorcasing end wall forming a part of partition 22, which divides thelaundry work space into two separate rooms isolated from each other. Thesoiled laundry is delivered to the room 24 which is maintained at asubatmospheric pressure, and'clean laundry is removed from the washingmachine directly into the room 26 which is maintained at atmosphericpressure. The washing machine is pro- 1 vided with a soiledlaundryloading door 28 and a clean laundry unloading door 30, the latterbeing in what may be 32 leading to a fresh air supply, at atmosphericpressure, and the cabinet also may be provided with a relief duct 34preferably of a cross section larger than duct 32, and open to the room24, the ducts 32 and 34 being open at all times. An exhaust fan 40 ofsufiicient capacity, maintains subatmospheric pressure in room 24. Itwill be understood that only at the conclusion of a complete washing andextraction cycle, will the door 30 be opened for removal of washed anddamp dry laundry from the washing machine tumbler and extractor drum.Hence with a suitable seal at the door 30, and interlocks .31 at bothdoors 28 and 30 to prevent the door 30 from being opened except at, thecompletion of a cycle and only when door 28 is closed, the chance forfoul or contaminated air from room 24 or wall casing 20, to escape intothe clean room 26 is completely eliminated.

In order to preclude the fiow of any air from within the casing 52 intoroom 26, the room 24 is maintained at a pressure differential lower thanroom 26 by an exhaust fan 40 delivering air from room 24 to the outside.To prevent the spread of contaminants to the outside, a suitable airfiltration unit 42 associated with the fan 40 isprovided. Throughsuchmeans, the pressure in room 24, and within casing 52 is maintainedsomewhat below atmospheric pressure and below the atmospheric pressurein the clean room 26.

By the arrangement shown, a relatively continuous scavengand asubatmospheric pressure maintained therein,.so that contaminated airwill be withdrawn from the casing 52 during the entire 'wash cycle.Atthe same time,'the ducts 32 and 34 permit any expansion or contractionof thequantity of the air contained within the casing 52, without thepressure therein, departing from subatmospheric.

It will be understood that the wash and extraction drum indicated at 50,is contained in the surrounding stationary casing or shell 52 of whichthe wall 20 is a part. The shell 52 is capable of containing and holdingwash orrinse water, in which the wash drum rotates and is partiallyimmersed. Such shell is provided with a dump valve 55 to drain. Theshell, when empty, with the dump valve open is open to thesubatmospheric pressure in the room 24. Since the shell is open to room24 at all times through the'dump valve, except during actual wash orrinse when the valve is closed, and the door 30 is locked exceptfollowing extraction at the end of the wash and extraction cycle, it maybesufficient to eliminate or cap the duct 34, since long prior toopening the door 30 to remove the clean laundry, the casing shell willbe subjected to subatmospheric pressure during extraction through theopen drain valve, and

hence the-shell would be fully scavenged and rendered subatmosphericlong prior to any opening of the door 30, by air entering duct 32, anddrawn into room 24 through the wide open dump valve.

The size of the duct 32 will be such in relation to the dump valve 55,or the dump valve aided by the exhaust duct 34, as to provide enoughrestriction to assure subatmospheric pressure within the shell 52.

Entrance to the room 24 will be through a passageway having interlockeddoors, as is understood in the art, so as to prevent escape ofcontaminated air, and to at all times preserve the subatmosphericpressure in room 24. Room 26 may be suitably provided with 'an entrancecontrolled by interlocked doors and supplied with filtered air atatmospheric pressure or slightly above if desired, to protect the roomand clean laundry unloaded therein from contaminated air, which mightotherwise enter the room from the surrounding atmosphere.

While a single form of the invention has been illustrated and describedit is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Asvarious changes in the construction and arunloading doors, a laundryarea separated by a partition in which the laundryapparatus casing isdisposed with its unloading door opening into the clean laundry room,and the loading door opening into the receiving room, said receivingroom having an exhaust fan means for maintaining subatmospheric pressurein the receiving room, an air duct connecting said casing with outsideair other-than from the clean room, port means separate from the airduct in the casing opening into said receiving room of a sufficient sizein relation to said air duct to effect subatmospheric pressure in thecasing, and interlocking means for said doors to maintain at least oneof said doors closed at all times.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the port means comprises anair duct of greater cross section than said outside airduct.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the port means comprises awater dump valve for the casing communicating with the receiving roomduring the extracting operations of the apparatus.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the port means comprises bothan air duct open to the receiving room and a ing flow is maintainedthrough the washing machine casing 52, the extracting operations of theapparatus.

1. Laundry equipment for institutional use comprising a laundry washingand extracting apparatus having a substantially airtight casing, saidcasing having separate loading and unloading doors, a laundry areaseparated by a partition in which the lauNdry apparatus casing isdisposed with its unloading door opening into the clean laundry room,and the loading door opening into the receiving room, said receivingroom having an exhaust fan means for maintaining subatmospheric pressurein the receiving room, an air duct connecting said casing with outsideair other than from the clean room, port means separate from the airduct in the casing opening into said receiving room of a sufficient sizein relation to said air duct to effect subatmospheric pressure in thecasing, and interlocking means for said doors to maintain at least oneof said doors closed at all times.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1wherein the port means comprises an air duct of greater cross sectionthan said outside air duct.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 whereinthe port means comprises a water dump valve for the casing communicatingwith the receiving room during the extracting operations of theapparatus.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the port meanscomprises both an air duct open to the receiving room and a casing waterdump valve open to the receiving room during the extracting operationsof the apparatus.